Faults:

As of writing this review I’ve only had it for 8 months so not very long, and so far I haven’t had any problems really.

General Comments:

It’s a nice truck that definitely turns heads; it runs good and has plenty of low end power, but not so much high end.

Faults:

Replaced universal joints, heater core, radiator hoses.

General Comments:

Bought the truck 113000 miles, changed the spark plugs, oil, and then drove it from California to Maine.

Faults:

From front to back.

Engine Department:

Engine has been rebuilt 3 times since purchased brand new

Replaced 4 barrel carb, fuel pump, battery at 275000.

Replaced rear end at 299000 due to over hot rodding.

Replaced turbo 350 transmission at 301000 due to over hot rodding.

Badly rusted through out, example, no stock floors, holes in box, fenders, one of the dual tanks.

General Comments:

This truck has got me into it all and also out of it. It is a truck that has been passed down from my grandfather, to my father, to me. The only reason that most of those parts have been replaced is because I rod this truck to the limits. Its fitting nickname is the Pyle, it earned and deserves this name. Its quick off the line and quick to a stop, but not around corner (body roll is extensive) as expected by old truck in-general. Its hot in the summer time, and has a great heater in the winter time.

Faults:

Replaced the radiator after the original one finally rusted through at 82,000 original miles.

Replaced the intake manifold after the dealership said it needed to be replaced. Which was a big fat lie, so I was repaid for the money I spent on the new after market manifold and labor. Thank you BAR.

Replaced 4 barrel carburetor at 55,000 miles.

New starter at 61,000 miles.

General Comments:

This truck was the best. I bought it from my grandma when I got my drivers license. I was a junior in high school. The truck was my grandpa's, but when he died in 1985 my grandma kept the truck and just had it sitting in the front yard ever since as sentimental value. She drove it about once every Sunday 2 miles to church. That's about it.

When I bought the truck, it had the standard old people features. A camper shell and skinny tires with the original rims with the full wheel original wheel covers. The truck had 54,000 original miles on it when I got it. I paid $3,000 dollars for it from her.

The truck was a Half ton 1500 with the heavy duty chassis package, so it was called a Heavy Half. It had a Big Block 454 V8 with a turbo 400 automatic transmission.

After about one year of owning the truck, I had turned it into one of the nicest trucks in town. It had never been wrecked or dented or anything of that sort. The 8 track that was in the dash still worked.

The truck had power everything. Power windows, brakes, steering, locks. It had air conditioning.

I took off the camper shell, got it repainted and bought a custom grille, and put a nice diamond tread tool box in the back. She was a beauty!

Since it was a heavy half ton, it didn't need to have catalytic converters, because it had true dual exhaust all the way to the rear from the 454 V8. So I put dual Flowmasters on it, and put some wide tires and Eagle alloy rims on her. Man, that baby hauled serious butt!!

The only thing that I didn't like about that truck was the bench seat. It was uncomfortable and I tended to slide in it when I would be racing around corners. I guess I would have liked it if I would have had a girlfriend to sit in the middle next to me.

All in all, I loved that truck, and she never gave me any problems.

Thank god for the dual gas tanks. It had two 20 gallon tanks. One on each side. And with the 7 miles per gallon I was getting, I was glad to have both tanks. Not once did I ever have to push that huge beast from running out of gas. I would be driving and see that the gauge read that I was almost empty on one tank. So I'm sitting there driving along at 55 miles per hour and I hear the engine start to grumble and lose power. I would then quickly hit the switch in the cab to switch tanks, and the gas gauge would then read the amount I had in the other tank. Showed a full tank thank god. I would then pump the gas pedal real quick while the truck was stumbling, and then hold the gas down and VROOOM. She was back in action. Always made sure I had some gas on either tank.

I also took the valve body off the transmission in my transmission class I had at college; "took auto mechanics classes at college". I put a mild shift kit in the valve body, and from then on the truck would shift quick and hard, and the tires would bark each time it shifted when I would punch the gas. I blew away many imports and other cars in that truck, and beat many many other American trucks. The only other truck I ever lost to was my buddy's 1993 454 SS Chevy pickup. He barely beat me. Most likely because his truck was a lot lighter.

I loved that truck, and wish I wouldn't have sold it a couple months ago. I see the guy I sold it to hot rodding around the city almost once a week.

I miss that baby, but I don't miss the cost of fuel. At $2.35 per gallon for the high octane, I was getting killed with only 7 miles per gallon with the Big Block. Oh well.